As our very hot summer is winding down, it’s time to start thinking about getting to work on our fall gardens and landscaping. Mulch is the key to a healthy and successful ornamental and vegetable garden. It means you won’t be spending so much time watering, weeding, and fertilizing, instead you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy your productive plants.
Bodie Pennisi, a professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Georgia’s Griffin campus, recently told Mother Nature Network, “I am a huge advocate of mulch because of what it saves and how good it is for the health of your garden and your plants,” Pennisi said, citing three benefits of mulch. “Mulch conserves moisture, meaning it helps you reduce the amount of water you apply, which is a huge environmental benefit; it keeps weeds down so that you don’t have to apply herbicides; and it improves soil health.”
Pine bark mulch is sold in several differed sizes. Choose one that matches the type of project you’re doing, as wells the size of the plant for visual appeal. Fine pine bark is less than 1-1/8 inch, mini pine bark is 1 to 3 inches, large pine bark is 2 to 4 inches, and there is also a shredded mulch.
Smaller mulch tends to be more efficient at insulating roots and trapping in moisture. Though smaller mulch can get washed away easier than larger mulch and they also decompose faster. It is important to remember to leave about an inch of space between the truck or stem of a plant.
Pennisi suggests mulch be kept at a 3 inch minimum year round to take advantage of all the benefits, especially weeds from growing. “Wind disburses weed seeds, and if those seeds find bare ground where they have access to soil, water and sunlight they are going to germinate,” Pennisi said. “Once they start growing they will compete with desirable plants for resources such as nutrients, water and sunlight — whether those plants are in ornamental beds or vegetable gardens. Mulch will prevent about 80 percent of available weed seeds from germinating if you have an adequate layer of mulch on top of the soil.”
Mulch also adds aesthetic value. Who doesn’t want that high end finished look mulch gives to any landscape and garden. Reliable Peat makes it easy to be the envy of the neighborhood.
To make it even easier, Reliable Peat will deliver organic mulch and stones to your home! That means you won’t have to lug bags of heavy mulch from the store to your home.
Contact Reliable Peat now and receive 10% off all orders over 6 yards!
